Cedar Furniture

This Japanese tansu cabinet was crafted during the late Meiji to Taisho period and is made from solid cedar wood. It represents a refined example of traditional Japanese furniture, w...

This exceptional Japanese mizuya tansu dates to the Meiji period, circa 1860s to 1900s, and is crafted from solid cedar wood. It embodies the quiet refinement of traditional Japanese...

This exceptional Japanese mizuya tansu dates to the Meiji period, circa 1860s to 1900s, and is crafted from solid cedar wood. It represents a refined example of traditional Japanese ...

This is a large antique low board made in Japan. Its low, stable stance and long, well-balanced proportions are particularly striking, creating a calm visual weight and a grounded at...

A beautiful, functional coffee/tea table from turn of the century Japan. Constructed in cedar with plenty of internal storage. Perfectly patinated.

This is an antique Japanese low table, distinguished by its beautifully low proportions that extend quietly toward the floor. Its understated form reflects the aesthetic sensibility ...

This is a large antique black Tansu chest made in Japan. The moment it is placed in a space, it exudes a quiet tension and a profound presence, with its stripped-down, unadorned form...

This is an antique cabinet from Japan. It is a piece of furniture with a refined and quiet presence, creating a calm atmosphere simply by being placed in a space. Its unadorned, simp...

A beautifully balanced Japanese antique storage cabinet crafted in Japan during the Taishō to early Shōwa period. Made primarily from Japanese cedar (sugi) and other native woods, th...

This is a large antique wooden box made in Japan. It is believed to have been crafted during the Meiji period (1860s–1900s), using cedar wood. The soft, characteristic grain of ceda...

Overview This exceptional 19th-century Japanese Mizuya Tansu (traditional kitchen cabinet) is a striking example of Meiji-era craftsmanship, blending functional storage with a bold, ...

This is a part of a structural building material that was used in an old Japanese temple. It is said to be reclaimed wood that was used in the lecture hall of Yakushiji, a famous tem...

This piece is a Japanese sliding door cabinet crafted during the Meiji period to the early Taisho period. It is constructed from cedar wood, a material deeply rooted in Japanese arch...

This piece is a Japanese sliding door cabinet crafted during the Meiji period to the early Taisho period. It is constructed from cedar wood, a material deeply rooted in Japanese arch...

This is an antique Japanese chest of drawers. It features a simple design with only carved handles. It is a very old chest of drawers, and while it remains largely in its original c...

This is a Japanese antique drawer chest, believed to date from the late Edo period to early Meiji period circa 1800s to 1900s. Constructed from solid wood and finished in a deep tim...

A rare and thoughtfully designed early 20th-century Japanese Sugi (Cedar) chest, featuring a curated layout of nine drawers in two distinct, functional sizes. Crafted during the tra...

This is an old Japanese primitive-style low table. It is a piece of furniture that was actually used during the early Shōwa period (1900s–1940s) and was discovered in a traditional f...

New finds from a long-established hardware shop in Ibaraki pref., Japan. Single tier Mizuya tansu is made from premium quality, reddish Sugi Cedar, the product of circa 1870s to 190...

This piece is a Japanese sliding door cabinet crafted during the late Meiji to early Taisho period. It is constructed from cedar wood, a material deeply rooted in Japanese architectu...

This is an old Japanese black low board with drawers. Crafted during the Meiji period (1860s–1900s), it carries the quiet atmosphere of an era moving toward modernization, presenting...

This piece was originally a sliding door from a traditional Japanese kura (storehouse). It is believed to date to the Meiji period (1860s–1900s) and represents a remarkably primitive...

This Japanese antique mizuya cabinet was crafted during the early years of the Bunsei era (1818–1830) in the late Edo period, making it approximately 200 years old. Measuring 33.9” W...

This Japanese apothecary cabinet dates from the late Meiji to Taisho period (circa early 20th century) and was originally used in a medical clinic. Designed for the careful storage a...

This striking Japanese Tansu (chest of drawers) dates back to the Meiji Period (late 19th century) and is a masterclass in functional elegance. Crafted from solid Sugi (Japanese Ceda...

Japan, 17th Century (circa 1600-1700) Carved Japanese Cedar (Sugi) A refined and deeply atmospheric seated Buddhist figure, carved in Japan during the Edo period, circa 17th century...

This is a very old Japanese wooden Buddhist sculpture. It is believed to date back to the Muromachi period (14th–16th century) and has quietly existed alongside people’s prayers for ...

This is a large antique Japanese medicine chest (kusuri-tansu). The overwhelming sense of volume and the disciplined repetition of its many drawers elevate it beyond the realm of ord...

This is an antique Japanese Tansu. Judging by the condition of the metal parts, it appears to be quite old, likely dating to the Edo period. It has been carefully maintained to pres...

Description This exceptional Japanese merchant’s chest (Tansu), dating from the Meiji Period (late 19th century), is a masterclass in understated elegance and functional art. Unlike ...

This Japanese apothecary chest (tansu) dates to the first year of Kaei (1848), late Edo period. The date is recorded internally in brush-written ink, providing direct historical evid...

This is an antique Japanese work board. Despite its simple form, it possesses a powerful presence, bringing a quiet tension and deep sense of depth to any space. It is estimated to ...

Japanese Antique Huge Door " Wall Decoration " 1860s-1900s / Wabi Sabi This extraordinary large sliding door was once used in an old warehouse in Japan. Dating back to the Meiji per...

This large Japanese tansu was crafted in the early 1900s and reflects a restrained yet powerful approach to utilitarian furniture. Made from solid cedar wood, the piece combines stru...

An eight drawer early Meiji period cedar tansu cabinet/chest of drawers. A beautiful and very practical piece of furniture. Heavily patinated through years of use with original iro...

A striking Italian commode/chest of drawers from circa 1850, all hand-crafted from cedar that has taken on a deep mahogany tone which enhances the drama of the carved motif along the...

Antique Japanese Samurai Suit of Armor, Edo period, 18th century. A complete matching set of lacquered iron work; the cuirass with dragonfly decoration and blue lacing, a Kaga schoo...

This is a very old black-lacquered drawer storage unit made in Japan. Judging from the handle design, it appears to date from the Meiji period. It is very old. It comes with a lock. ...

This piece is believed to be a wooden storage chest known as a karabi-bitsu, made in Japan during the late Edo period (approximately the 18th–19th century). The karabi-bitsu is a tra...

Experience the unique aroma of Vulcano scented cedar with this bench, sculpted from a single piece of wood. Its graceful arched base below the seat magnifies the exquisite wood grain...

Frusquin Side Table Side table in standard Lacquer finishes. DIMENSIONS: 11 DM x 17 H in FINISHES: Lacquer (Purple) Premium Finish Category: Side Tables & Nightstands Designer: C...

Overview An exceptional piece of Japanese history, this Meiji Period (1868–1912) Tansu showcases a rare and functional five-drawer layout. Crafted entirely from solid Sugi (Japanese ...

Designed and made by William Westenhaver, this pair of side or end tables was sold under the Witco name. There aren't many of these floating around, and were typically sold as stools...

This is an old black chest of drawers made in Japan during the Meiji period (1860s–1900s), a time when craftsmanship and material refinement reached an extraordinary level. Expertly ...

Experience the unique aroma of scented cedar with this bench, sculpted from a single piece of wood. Its graceful arched base below the seat magnifies the exquisite wood grains and na...

George Trollope and Sons. Exhibited at the Paris Universal Exhibition in 1878 winning a Gold Medal for Excellence. The set forms the four sides of a complete panelled room that was exhibited as a boudoir room or petit salon at the Paris Exhibition 1878 . The main feature and centrepiece of this boudoir room is the Rosso Antico marble fireplace surmounted by an open display niche carved in cedar wood. Each side of the room is composed of various panels and are as follows: One side with a grand Rosso Antico marble fireplace flanked by two doorways. One side with French doors originally opening onto a balcony, flanked by two large bookshelves. One side with a window flanked by two mirrors. The opposite side with three large mirrors. The complete room measures: 21 ft / 6.4 m wide, 17 ft / 5.18 m deep, and 12 ft / 3.65 m high. It could also be used in a number of different combinations to suit various room layouts. The mirrors could be replaced with windows or further bookcases. Each side is decorated with various sizes of finely carved panels and holds ornate Corinthian style columns surmounted with cherubim's on the capitals. Three cherubs are formed at the top of each corner with three columns, at the column bases there are circular carved pedestals to display statues. Published & illustrated in the ‘Illustrated Catalogue of the Paris International Exhibition’. The main part of this room, the Rosso Antico marble fireplace is surmounted by a large open display niche carved in cedar wood are illustrated with a line drawing in the Paris Universal Exhibition catalogue on page 209. The whereabouts of the seminaked caryatids and the marble bust of Alexander Pope are unknown. The bust of Alexander Pope was copied from the original one in Westminster Abbey, London. The Corinthian columns now flanking the niche above the fireplace are also in cedar wood having the identical carved fluting to the rest of the room and were made to replace the caryatid figures. Those Corinthian columns are period to the room and can only have been made shortly after it arrived back to London and before it was reassembled and fitted into the house built by George Trollope and Sons in the 1880's, and where we removed it all from. George Trollope made clever use of Alexander Pope's early 18th-century poetical successes in Great Britain and France by using ‘The Rape of Lock’, a mock-heroic narrative poem Pope wrote in 1712 about Petre who cut off a lock of Arabella’s hair without her permission, as the theme of the boudoir room or petit salon at the 1878 Paris Exhibition. In the original exhibition display of the room set, tapestries depicting the Rape of Lock were hung where the mirrors are now positioned. Alexander Pope's The Rape of the Lock is a humorous indictment of the vanities and idleness of 18th-century high society. Basing his poem on an actual incident among two families of his acquaintance, Pope intended his verses to quench hot tempers and to encourage his friends to laugh at their own foolishness. The poem is an outstanding example in the English language of the genre of mock-epic. The 'epic' was considered one of the most serious of literary forms; it had been applied, in the classical period, to the trivialities of love and war. Pope’s mock-epic is not to mock the form itself, but to mock his society in its very failure to rise to epic standards, exposing its pettiness by casting it against the grandeur of the traditional epic subjects and the bravery and fortitude of epic heroes: Pope’s mock-heroic treatment in The Rape of the Lock underlines the ridiculousness of a society in which values have lost all proportion, and the trivial is handled with the gravity and solemnity that ought to be accorded to truly important issues. The 18th-century society in this poem fails to distinguish between things that are important and things that are not. The poem mocks the men it portrays by representing them as unworthy of a heroic culture. Therefore the mock-epic follows the epic in that its main concerns are serious and moral. The point that the theme must now be satirical rather than earnest is symptomatic of how far the culture has fallen. Retaining the original exhibition label The back of the panelling still retains two original labels printed with the 'Union Jack' and printed adjacent to it, 'The Secretary Royal British Commission for the Universal Exhibition 1878 Champ de Mars Paris'. Adjacent to that and below, printed and written in ink vertically: Exhibitor: (and signed in ink) George Trollope & Sons. Address: (written in ink) Halkin Street West. London. Allotment in Block: (written in ink) a2. In the printed floor plan 'a2 square' is in the very first line to the right of the floor plan and handwritten in ink with a 'diamond shape' also written with '101' within it. This pin points where George Trollope's stand was located. With thousands of items being displayed at the Exhibition, this label would have been the floor plan for the craftsmen, so they knew the correct place to install the boudoir room or petit salon. The firm continued expanding house building and interior decoration side of the business and by 1849 was also trading as an estate agency, letting and controlling property for the Grosvenor Estates. A separate branch of cabinet-makers, bearing the family name, was opened at West Halkin Street, London. becoming known as 'The Museum of Decorative Arts' (looked after by George Robinson). Here Trollope and Sons also sold high-class antique furniture made by other makers. In 1851, the firm became formally known as George Trollope and Sons. West Halkin Street, London. The address was recorded in the listing for the firm in The Furniture Gazette Directory, 1876 & 1877. Period Press Coverage & Art Critic Review. everal newspapers also thoroughly describe George Trollope and Son's stand including the different tapestries that were hung where the mirrors are now, illustrating the poem 'The Rape of Lock', by Alexander Pope. Marius Vachon, a French Art Critic and journalist, who wrote for the journal ‘La France’ published an extensive review of the Trollope and Sons stand in a book called Les Merveilles de l'Exposition de 1878 (The Wonders of the 1878 Exhibition). Note: In the World Fairs translation it states door frame, Marius Vachon had originally written ‘chambranle’ in French, 'chambranle' loosely translates to a frame around something, and should read in its correct context: ‘fireplace in rosso antico’. We have taken the extract below written by Marius Vachon in its translated form from: Les Merveilles de l'Exposition de 1878, (The Wonders of the 1878 Exhibition). This puts into perspective the importance of this fine quality room interior when he viewed it at the exhibition in 1878: Marius Vachon: English furniture is very curious to observe; irreproachable from the point of view of execution, the furniture of our neighbours always reaches the last degree of respectability and comfort. One thing to be noticed is that for large pieces of furniture, the English upholsterer is transformed into a sort of architect; everything he makes takes on a monumental aspect. The first object that catches the eye when one enters the furniture class is the beautiful boudoir-salon exhibited by Mr. Trollope. The boudoir (or petit salon), of carved cedar wood, is an attempt to reproduce the style which prevailed in England during the first decade of Queen Anne's reign, and all the details have been studied, but not copied, from examples of decorative work of the time. The fireplace is in "rosso antico" movement, and the ceiling is in portable plaster. The panels painted on canvas represent scenes from the heroic-comic poem "The Abduction of the Hairpin," (The Rape of Lock) written by Alexander Pope in 1712, the eighth year of Queen Anne's reign, in which the customs and mores of the time are satirized in a pleasing manner. The apotheosis of the Loop and its sidereal transformations will form the decoration of the ceiling. In these illustrations of Pope's charming poem, the costumes and accessories have been taken from models of the time; and the bust of the poet, copied from his tomb in Westminster Abbey, occupies the niche in the centre of the mantelpiece. M. Marius Vachon, the period writer of the above continues with: Now we shall mention at random the magnificent dining table of Messrs. Johnston and Co., their oak mantelpiece, their boudoir table; Mr. Watt's drawing-room mantelpiece stepped in the old style and imitating the Japanese; Mr. James Shoolbred's great The Decorative Arts Society on Trollope and Sons The boudoir or petit salon is mentioned again in the Decorative Arts Society: Trollope did not exhibit such highly rated objects at the 1878 Paris Exhibition as at previous exhibitions; items included a large mirror frame carved in limewood in Renaissance style and a satinwood cabinet in Adam revival style, with a similar armchair (illus. Meyer (2006), p. 242) and probably two rooms; one was a boudoir in cedar wood in Queen Anne style and the other was a boudoir decorated by the firm in the theme of Pope’s The Rape of Lock. In the above extract, it is quite clear that the two rooms mentioned are in fact the very same room, because the fireplace and niche are illustrated in The Paris Universal Exhibition catalogue on page 209 and Marius Vachon describes the rest of the room set in the above… Trollope and Sons exhibition pieces listed and described by Meyer in an article he wrote for: The Decorative Arts Society 1850 to present, Journal 25 in 2001., where he points out the importance of George Trollope and Sons and mentions a table by Trollope exhibited at the 1867 exhibition that sold for £40,000 in 1996. He also mentions a cabinet exhibited by Trollope at the International Exhibition of 1862 that sold at Sotheby's in 1997 for £150,000. Interest was not as strong in the 1990's as it is today for rare exhibition pieces, high quality items were abundant back then, it was a golden era when the most beautiful works of art just kept coming onto the market. But there are exceptions as in this instance, when a unique, gold medal-winning exhibition work of art comes onto the market for the very first time. Meyer continued researching and writing about the great exhibitions and released his book in 2006, 'The Great Exhibitions, London, New York, Paris and Philadelphia 1851- 1900, where he mentions only in passing, The Boudoir Room or Petite Salon exhibited by Trollope, he even states that an image was not reproduced and that Trollope's exhibits in 1878 were not up to the quality and class of the items Trollope exhibited in London in 1862 and Paris in 1868. This is probably because Meyer didn't know of the line drawing illustrating the Roso Antico Fireplace, Niche and Panelling reproduced in The Illustrated Catalogue of the Paris International Exhibition 1878 shown in the above which Geering recently uncovered. John Meyer continues in the DAS journal: Undoubtedly they (Trollope) are a firm worthy of further research as they were right at the forefront of the furniture business in London from 1860 to 1880. Our research shows that the Petite Boudoir was awarded the gold medal for excellence in 1878 (see Journal La Liberté 23-10-1878 with the list of all medals attributed), something George Trollope and Sons did not achieve at the London 1862 and the Paris 1867 exhibitions. Jonathan Meyer joined Bonham's in 1977. He was Director at Sotheby's in charge of 19th Century Furniture from 1994 to June 2007. He was also chairman of the Fine Arts Faculty for The Royal Institute of Chartered Surveyors. In the original description from the article in Les Merveilles de l’exposition de 1878, M. Marius Vachon states: The first object that catches the eye when one enters the (English) furniture class is the beautiful boudoir-salon exhibited by Mr. Trollope. Suggesting, it was in his opinion the very best on display in the English section, and being awarded the gold medal for excellence can only add weight to this. Adjacent to the original label that was printed by The Secretary - Royal British Commission for the Universal Exhibition 1878 in stencil ‘TO BE KEPT’, i.e. ‘to be returned’. This confirms why it came back to London. We removed the Boudoir Room or Petite Salon from a Trollope house, part of a grand high-class housing estate in London which around the time of the exhibition Trollope and Sons were in the process of building, and where the room set was installed directly after it returned from the exhibition in 1878 until now. Worthy of note is the machines that did the carving for the Boudoir Room or Petite Salon and also did all of the decorative carving (most of which was linenfold carving) for the Houses of Parliament, London. This machine, the engraving and description of which we copy from Engineering, was specially designed by its inventor, Mr. Jordan, for assisting in the production of the vast amount of carved decorations required for the walls and ceilings of the Houses of Parliament, London, and it was so employed during the entire progress of the work. The late Sir Charles Barry was so well satisfied with it, that he frequently declared it would have been impossible to have accomplished the work without it. The Department of Woods and Forests employed five of the machines at the Government Works, Thames Bank, for several years; and the machines have now passed into the hands of Messrs. George Trollope and Son, and are still used in the same building. They also exhibited the new technique of xylatechnography and sgraffito, methods of impressing coloured design into soft wood and engraving veneer to reveal the base wood. The newspaper, La Liberte October, 23rd 1878 listing the medal winners of the Paris 1878 exhibition. Third column, ''GROUPE III MOBILIER ET ACCESSOIRES'', (GROUP III FURNITURE AND ACCESSORIES). Medailles d'or. (Gold Medals) where G Trollope et fils (G Trollope and Sons...

Japanese antique 2 tier mid size Mizuya tansu chest with 9 drawers. Made of premium quality Sugi cedar solid wood boards. The product of circa 1900s to 1930 (late Meiji to early Show...

This storage furniture, known as a "kurumanagamochi" (cartridge), has been used in Japan since ancient times. Made primarily from pine and cedar, it was commonly used in the Tohoku r...

This is an old Japanese chest of drawers, handcrafted during the Meiji period (1860s–1900s). It is a fine example of traditional Japanese craftsmanship from that era. The body is mad...

This Japanese low table (zataku) was crafted in the Meiji Era (1868–1912) from sugi (Japanese cedar) and finished with kakishibu (persimmon tannin combined with pine soot), creating ...

This is a very old Japanese low writing desk covered with paper. Within its simple and restrained presence resides a quiet tension and spiritual depth that only furniture shaped by l...

The Clair collection of high-end sideboards and credenzas features a three-dimensional, faceted front panel in the case of the low Clair credenza, beaut...

This Japanese glass cabinet was crafted during the early Showa Period (1926–1945) in sugi (Japanese cedar) and finished with black cashew lacquer. The smooth, matte black surface cre...

This is a large antique Tansu chest from Japan, crafted during the Meiji period (1860s–1900s). Made with Japanese cedar and finished with great care, it has endured for over a centur...

This is a large antique Tansu chest from Japan, crafted during the Meiji period (1860s–1900s). It is made of Japanese cedar, whose surface has gained depth and character over time, c...

This is a wooden stool made of cedar wood from the late Meiji and Taisho periods (around 1900-1920) in Japan. It is believed to have been actually used in old private homes and farmh...

Cast-off cedar logs are given second life as a crystalline form. Named Little Gem, the natural beauty of reclaimed wood is harnessed in this side table and sculpture piece where nature informs design. Each Little Gem is hand-shaped and faceted based on the different characteristics of the log used, and variations in wood grain. Top surface and finish further ensure that no two are alike. Left to weather outdoors, this piece will acquire a natural silver finish. Stool is sold as an individual piece. Shown in main image is carbon dyed Western red cedar...

A matched pair of late 19th C. Meiji period Japanese coffee/low tables. Constructed in cedar with beautiful patination developed over hundreds of years of use. W105 cm x D42 cm x H...

This vintage cabinet was crafted in the early Showa Era (1926–1950) from Japanese sugi (cedar) wood, with a natural finish that showcases the wood's authentic grain and warm characte...

A rare 18th century North African Zanzibar trunk, fashioned of cedar with studded decoration and clad with pierced copper panels. Used in Kenya and Zanzibar to store valuables and sp...